The present invention relates generally to operator's cabs mounted on self-propelled crop harvesting machines, such as combines, and, more particularly, to a means for mounting a cab access door about a non-vertical support post, yet permit the access door to swing in a substantially horizontal plane.
Modern self-propelled crop harvesting machines are generally equipped with an enclosed operator's cab in which the operator is seated to control the harvesting operation of the machine. Such operator's cabs are generally provided with environmental controls, such as air conditioning and sound absorbing materials, to improve the quality of the work environment for the operator. Operator cabs are generally mounted at an elevated position on the crop harvesting machine to afford the operator a field of view of the harvesting operation relative to the gathering of crop material from the field in which he is operating. To permit this field of view, the cab enclosure is provided with a number of transparent panels, normally glass, supported from vertical posts extending between the floor member and the roof member of the cab. To permit access into the cab, the cab enclosure is provided with an access door mounted for pivotal movement about a hinge axis supported by one of the vertical support posts.
An inclination of support posts in forward and/or outward directions permits the transparent panels to be angled in such a manner as to reduce glare problems and provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Mounting the hinge axis for an access door on an inclined support post presents a problem for the opening of the access door under conditions where the cab and/or access ladder structural components present a constraint on vertical movements of the access door. For example, a forwardly inclined hinge axis would dictate movement of the bottom frame member of an access door through a non-horizontal plane that results in the bottom frame member being in a lower position when the door is opened than when it is closed. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a mounting configuration for an access door to enable the door to be mounted to an inclined support post yet enable the access door to swing about a substantially horizontal plane wherein the bottom frame member of the door is horizontal in both the closed and fully opened positions without dropping below the horizontal plane.